Authentic Halloween Experience

Was going to stop blogging here for a few weeks since I was getting pissed that my RL friends weren't bothering to comment on it since they're the only reason I'm keeping this. I've got my own personal journal so it didn't bother me giving this up. But since I was asked for an update and this was just too awesome to pass up, I will give you this post. Shaun and Katherine, this is for you.

Arrived safely in Seattle, well away from Sandy, late on Monday night. Got up early on Tuesday to catch a train to Tacoma where I met up with Marissa and Jesse. After a delicious yet giant (read: American) breakfast, we decided it would be epic fun to explore the lava tube/cave of Mt St Helens. The website mentioned we needed to bring the "10 Essential Items", but forgot to include the minor detail of what they were. So we went home and prepared the best we could - thank goodness I always always manage to pack a torch with me. I trace that back to my Nancy Drew days.

The lava tube was SO COOL. Omg. So it was pouring down raining and we bought some umbrellas at Kmart on the way, and it's a good thing we did because it was still raining on us, despite being underground. Marissa, Jesse and I descended into the black depths of despair pitch dark cave and had a torch each and walked for a kilometre or so? Or two? I can't remember distances here anymore since it's all said in miles. But it was a long trek. And wet. Very wet, with the stream on the ground and the slime on the cave walls and the chilly breeze breathing down our necks. And the rain, don't forget the rain.

Then I had my very first Blizzard at the DQ and it was like a McFlurry (the old kind, before they got all shit last year) but made with sunshine and magic and happiness. Omg. I loved it.

After all this, we cruised around looking for good pumpkins to carve and hit the motherload where the pumpkins were over 30 pounds so the scale stopped being able to weigh them. AND THEN WE MASSACRED THEM INTO HALLOWEEN GOODNESS. And had pumpkin pie (YUUUUUUM!).

 
To avoid having to train it and back, I stayed the night on a couch more comfortable than my hostel bed and woke up in the middle of the night to one of the cats sleeping in the crook of my knees! ILY, KITTY. God, I miss my two babies. But it sure helps when you can cuddle with someone else’s pet.

For breakfast on Wednesday, I had biscuits and gravy, checking that off my To Eat list (Aunty Yvonne, there’ll be a postcard heading your way). Feeling very full as I had been THIS CLOSE to finishing my first full American-sized meal, we went to the museum of glass which was very interesting and had so many pretty things! But I was also scared to death I’d knock over something worth like, $200k or more. Which I didn’t (yay!). Banana cream pie (finally something triumphs over mozzarella sticks for my new favourite American food. And much easier to make once home, I imagine) and a rented movie followed. Has anyone seen Ruby Sparks? It’s fantastic. You should.

We met up with some of Marissa and Jesse’s friends who were really cool and went to the Fright Factory (a haunted house experience). Now I wish we’d taken a Before and After picture of us because it was scary, man. I was screaming and jumping all over the place most of the time. Picture me as that annoying character in any horror film who is first to die because no one can stand their whimpering. Mmm. Click here for an idea of what one section (the very end) was like.

And after two wonderful days of Pure Awesome, I returned to regular Emerica life of hostelling and vending machine food.